By most standards, Macross is considered to be a mecha franchise second only to Gundam. Much like the original Gundam series, Macross is a war drama. Aside from war and mecha battles, at its heart is the story of normal people caught up in great events. It has had various incarnations over the last two decades, though not as many as Gundam. Macross was made in the tradition of the 'real robot' genre that Gundam created, and it is probably best known for setting off the transforming mecha craze in the early 80's that many series used afterwards. Most people in the U.S. are more familiar with Macross in the form of 1985's Robotech, which edited and combined three separate anime series.